Wide format pagewidth printer

Abstract

A wide format printer includes a carrier that is mountable on a support structure of the wide format printer in an operative position with respect to a platen of the wide format printer. A number of printhead chips are positioned on the carrier, the printhead chips together incorporating at least fifty thousand nozzle arrangements. The printhead chips are positioned so that the printhead chips are capable of ejecting ink drops into a printing zone defined by the platen. Control circuitry is also positioned on the carrier and is configured to control operation of the printhead chips.

Description

[0001] This is a Continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10 / 120,348 filed on Apr. 12, 2002 REFERENCED PATENT APPLICATIONS [0002] This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application No. 09 / 112,767 now granted U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,167. The following United States applications and patents are hereby incorporated by reference: 6,227,6526,213,5886,213,5896,231,1636,247,7956,394,5816,244,6916,257,7046,416,1686,220,6946,257,7056,247,7946,234,6106,247,7936,264,3066,241,3426,247,7926,264,3076,254,2206,234,6116,302,5286,283,5826,239,8216,338,5476,247,7966,557,9776,390,6036,362,8436,293,6536,312,1076,227,6536,234,6096,238,0406,188,4156,227,6546,209,9896,247,7916,336,7106,217,1536,416,1676,243,11309 / 112,8076,247,7906,260,9536,267,4696,273,5446,309,0486,420,1966,443,5586,439,6896,378,98909 / 425,4206,634,7356,623,1016,406,1296,505,9166,457,8096,550,8956,457,8126,428,133 6,362,868,6,443,555STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0003] Not Applicable FIELD OF TH...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The applicant has developed a printhead chip that is capable of producing images having a resolution as high as 1600 dpi. These chips are manufactured using integrated circuit fabrication techniques. Details of the chips are provided in the above referenced applications and patents. Applicant believes that these printhead chips are extremely suitable for use in wide format printers. The reason for this is that such chips operate at extremely high speeds due to the large number of nozzle arrangements required in a single chip and due to the fact that such chips can be driven at an extremely high cyclical rate.

Problems solved by technology

Applicant believes that these printers suffer from inherent disadvantages, particularly when attempts are made to utilize the design of such printers in order to achieve faster printing speeds.

Central to the problem of achieving high printing speeds is the ability to achieve a printhead that is capable of generating the necessary number of ink dots at a suitable rate.

It follows that it is undesirable for a traversing printhead to be used in an attempt to achieve high print speeds and that a single printhead incorporating a suitable number of inkjet nozzles is required.

These suffer from excessive heat build up and energy consumption and have therefore been found by the applicant to not be suitable for use in a pagewidth configuration.

The Applicant has been faced with a number of difficulties in order to achieve the effective use of such printhead chips in wide format printers.

One particular difficulty identified by the Applicant is the effective control of a number of such printhead chips to achieve accurate printing.

Images